Venetian blind



June 7, 1960 H. J. SCHULTZ 2,939, 28

' VENETIAN BLIND 1 Filed March 11, 1957 2 s et -s t 1 3 8 121 .1- 604 6 m 3/ 3o I 5a 20 w 3/ 70 309 50 8 an ok INVETO/ HENRY J SCHUL TZ BYMWM H. J. SCHULTZ June 7, 1960 VENETIAN BLIND 2 Sheets-Sheefg 2 Filed March 11, 1957 INVENTOR.

HENRY J SCHULTZ B M WW U i dstates fl fl p 2,939,528 BLIND Filed Mar. 11, 1957, ser. No.;s4s,z4s

Claims. 01. 160-168) This invention pertains to improvements in Venetian blinds and particularly' to the simplified hardware at the tilt rod or top ,of the blinds. Another feature shows a way in which the conventional tilt rod or head rail can be dispensed with by the use ofsimplified hanging brackets formed of wire or suitable material and adapted for inside or outsidehung blinds. Another feature is a simplified lift cord turn and tapetilt device, whereinone simple device formed of wire rides on the tilt rod and retains "the ladder tape and acts on a lift cord turn; This item. isform ed without waste of material and requires no moving'parts and will serve for the right or left hand ladder tape guide. Anoth'erfeature shows a simplified way in which the lift cord retainer is formed of wire in a manner to retain the tilt cord in effective relation to the tilt rod to act directly or through a sleeve over the tilt rod to effect tilting of the ladder tape rungs and slats supported thereon without gears, pulleys, etc. Another feature is the construction of these ladder tape cord turn devices so that they may be snapped onto the tilt rod before or after the looped top of the ladder tape is assembled over thetilt rod for easyassembly. Another feature is a way in which a cord lock can be attached to the tilt rod and can locate the ladder tape guide and absorb the pull of the lift cords toward the cord lock to prevent end drift. of the tilt rod toward the cord lock during lifting or other operations of the blind.

Other features will be more particularly pointed out in the accompanying specification and claims.

I have illustrated my invention by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a side perspective view of a Venetian blind incorporating one form of the invention.

Fig. 2. is an enlarged side view partly cut away of the upper left hand portion of Fig. 1 showing another tilt cord retainer and the left hand ladder tape retainer of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 but showing a bottom view.

Fig. 4 is a section at Section 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section at Section 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a ladder tape retainer and lift cord turn somewhat enlarged as shown in Fig. 1.

2,939,528 Patented June 7, 1960 ice 1 3 .In all figures like numerals refer to corresponding parts. ,In Figs. 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 Ihave shown a Venetian blind with slats 5, ladder tapes and 11, tilt cords 6 and 6a with cord stops 6b, bottom rail 4,

- support brackets 30, turn and ladder tape guides and cord turn (the same part serves both purposes). Lift cords 8 and 8a pass through cord lock 70 supported on tilt rod 20 which is supported on support bracket 30. The operation of this cord lock is more particularly described in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 546,420, entitled Venetian Blind,;and which application resulted in Patent No. 2,842,196 on July 8, 1958.

Tilt rod support brackets 30 are preferably formed of wire to avoid .waste and have an in-turned loop end 30a that fits and supports tilt rod 20. The two ends 30b and 30c which form a right angle and are adapted for support-by two screws such as 31 from the side for outside hung, as in Figs. 1, 7, and 8, or from two screws 32 from above for inside hung, as in Fig. 10.

-Tilt cord retainer 50 has curled ends or hooks 50b and 500 adapted to snap over tilt rod 20 after tilt cords 6 and 6a have been wound around tilt rod 20. The spacing of the hooks 50b and She is such that more than one complete rotation ofthe tilt rod is permitted, andthe cord turns may travel axially of the tilt vrod a distance greater than the diameter of the cord. An alternate design.

of tilt cord retainer 50 is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Separating bar 40a connects the two rod engaging ends 40b then act as a tilt cord guide, as in Fig. 1, with the loop performing no extra function when used as a tilt cord guide.

The lift cords 8' and 8a pass through cord lock 70 and over support hook b of support 60 to cord turns 50a under ladder tapes 10 and 11. The looped upper ends of ladder tapes 10 and 11 rest on bushings 21 which I are secured to tilt rod 20 and have increased friction for Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevation view of the cord Fig. 12 shows a perspective view of one of the tilt rod support brackets as shown in Figs. 1, 7, 8, and 10. Fig. 13 shows a bottom view of the construction shown in Fig. 11 without cord and tapes.

driving the tilt of ladder tape sides 10 and 11 as compared to the smoother surface of tilt rod 20. These bushings 21 may have washers 22 to reduce friction on the end thrust between cord turns 50 and the bushings 21 due to the pull of the lift cords, etc. A bushing similar to 21 may be used under tilt cords 6 and 6a by increasing the length of hook ends 50b and 50c to get better travel of cords 6 and 6a in effecting a full tilt of the blind. If the fiat angle of the cord turn loop 50a forms too much friction a loop such as 450: of tilt cord or ladder tape 10- cator 45 shown in Figs. 11 and 13 may be used. This loop 45a could also be used to support the cord 8 on its way to the left hand cord turn as shown in Fig. l.

Cord lock support bracket 60 is formed so that loop 60a goes to the right of right hand support bracket 30. Hump 60c rides against the left of right hand support bracket 30 and loop 60d against the left side of cord turn bracket 50 as shown at the right side of Fig. 1. As stated previously the operation of the cord lock is described in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 546,420, entitled Venetian Blind, now Patent No. 2,842,196 above referred to and will not be described here.

With this construction the tilt cord can be assembled at the right or left of the blind as can the lift cord lock with no change in the parts required. The cord lock prevents the tilt rod from becoming disengaged with support bracket 30 unless support 60 is rotated well back for manual disengagement. The cord turns 50 and 40 work equally well whether the cord .lock is at the right or left side of the blind. This versatility forms another feature of this construction and invention. I

Other features of the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the accompanying specification and claims.

To those skilled in the art to which this inventiorr'relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the inventionwill suggest themselves Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. e

The disclosures and the description herein are purely ing.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a Venetian'blind, a pair of brackets, a tilt rod having its opposite ends rotatably supported in said brackets, tilt cords disposed adjacent-one end of said tilt rod and making a plurality of turns about same, a plurality of slats disposed beneath said tilt rod, ladder tapes supporting said slats and extending over said tilt rod, lift cords operatively engaged with said slats between said tapes, a tilt cord positioning and retaining means removably engaged with said tilt rod, positioning and retaining means for each of said ladder tapes removably engaged with said tilt rod, and said brackets, tilt cord and tape positioning and retaining means each comprising a' formed single length of wire.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said brackets, each comprise a pair oi legs having a tilt rod receiving loop intermediate the e'nds thereof, said legs illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limitbeing spaced for reception of retaining screws therebetween and the said legs including portions disposed in right angular relation for mounting of the brackets on vertical or horizontal surfaces.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said tilt cord positioning and retaining means and said ladder tape positioning and retaining means each comprise three substantially parallel bottom bars, each of the two outer bars at their opposed ends having an upwardly projecting end terminating in a tilt rod engaging hook for suspension of the tilt cord and ladder tape positioning and retaining means from the tilt rod.

4. The structure accordingto ,claim,3, wherein the middle one of said'three substantially parallel bars is provided with a depending lift cord guiding loop.

5. The structure according to claim 3 together with a pair of washers supported on said tilt rod and engaging said hooks, and a ladder tape engaging sleeve frictionally mounted on the tilt rod between said washers, said sleeve and said washers being of substantially the same diameter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,409,821 Albrecht Oct. 22, 1946 2,552,841 Charbonneau May 15, 1951 2,657,747 7 Walker Nov. 3, 1953 2,663,368 Walker Dec. 22, '1953 2,696,879 Walker Dec. 14, 1954 2,771,135 Walker Nov. 20, 1956 2,842,196 Schultz luly'fl, 1958 

